Duplexes are popping up in more luxury downtown high-rises, padding amenities with ample elbow room

By Tate Gunnerson

Chicago Tribune|

Mar 03, 2020 | 5:00 AM

Architect Chris Talsma and interior designers Aimee Wertepny and Jennifer Kranitz teamed up to connect their client’s 8,000-square-foot condo on the 46th floor of a Gold Coast high-rise with a 4,000-square-foot space above it in 2015. (Cynthia Lynn/Project Interiors)

Jeff and Kelly Baker didn’t have a duplex in mind when they began searching for an in-towner near the Riverwalk, restaurants and cultural attractions in downtown Chicago last year.

Then the Fond du Lac, Wisconsin residents toured the new development Renelle on the River, 403 N. Wabash Ave., and discovered the building offered several multilevel condos.

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Ultimately, they bought a 1,827-square-foot residence with one bedroom on the lower level and two bedrooms upstairs — plenty of space for them and their two children.

“We aren’t high-rise individuals, but this seemed more like a home instead of a condo,” Kelly Baker said. “We’re not all on top of each other.”

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The Bakers also appreciate the building’s many amenities, which include parking; 24-hour security; an onsite workout facility; and a rooftop deck with a dog walk, a lounge and a theatre room.

“The perks are phenomenal, and it’s a very secure building, so I have zero concerns about safety,” Kelly Baker said.

Theirs is one of many high-rise duplexes currently available or under construction in the Chicago market. Others include Cirrus at 211 N. Harbor Drive (from $1.8 million), The Cooper Southbank at 720 S. Wells St. (from $4,380 per month), Porte (formerly The Venn) at 855 W. Madison St. and Old Town Park at 202 W. Hill St. (from $9,790 per month).

And then there’s acclaimed architect Jeanne Gang’s Vista Tower, 363-401 E. Wacker Drive, which features a two-floor, 6,986-square-foot penthouse on the market for $18.5 million. The $1 billion high-rise is expected to have its first residents move in this summer, with the entire project wrapping by the end of 2020.

Vista Tower, seen here from Navy Pier on Aug. 27, 2019, has a two-floor penthouse on the market ahead of first move-ins scheduled for this summer. (Brian Cassella/Chicago Tribune)

While not part of the original plans, Vista Tower’s developers, Magellan Development Group, realized it would be relatively simple to fold in a second-floor addition.

Duplexes were not initially part of the plans for Renelle on the River either, says Alan Lev, chairman of the building’s developer, Belgravia Group.

Lev and his team decided at the last minute to convert some of the residences into more spacious duplexes like the one Jeff and Kelly Baker purchased. So far, three of the five units have sold.

“We’ve done combined side-by-side units before, but I think these have an even better flow, and they offer a little more privacy,” Lev says.

Whether or not to incorporate duplex units depends on the lot size, layout and the marketplace at any given time, Lev said, noting that Belgravia Group also included five duplex penthouses at CA6, a new residential tower now under construction at the corner of Jackson Boulevard and Racine Avenue in the West Loop.

In addition to their size — about 1,000 square feet larger than the single-floor units — the duplexes will have second-floor family rooms that open to private roof decks boasting spectacular city views. All five have sold.

What’s driving the appetite for such spaces? Many Chicagoans are settling down, having kids and seeking more space, Lev explained, pointing to the bustling student population at nearby Skinner West Elementary School.

“You really can’t find a freestanding single-family home in the West Loop, and we can’t even build town homes anymore,” he says. “Either the land is way too expensive, or the site is too small. You need at least an acre.”

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The Cooper at Southbank features 26 townhouse-style apartments, which each span two or three floors in the 29-story building. (The Cooper at Southbank)

Duplexes within high-rise residential towers are not a new concept in Chicago; designed by local architect Seymour S. Goldstein and completed in 1965, the 30-story brutalist Granville Tower at 6166 N. Sheridan Road in Edgewater is comprised entirely of two-level units.

Water Tower Place, Four Seasons Hotel Chicago residences and the Olympia Centre also offered duplex dwellings when they debuted.

Some homeowners are even carving out their own. In 2015, architect Chris Talsma and interior designers Aimee Wertepny and Jennifer Kranitz launched a project to connect their client’s 8,000-square-foot condo on the 46th floor of a Gold Coast high-rise with a 4,000-square-foot space above it.

The addition includes a kitchen, a lounge, a guest suite, a golf/media room, and spaces for yoga and meditation.

“The clients take a lot of pleasure in friendships, socializing and creating community, and this is a great place for them to do that,” Kranitz said.

Combining a condo with the residence above it in a Gold Coast high-rise gave owners ample room for open-concept spaces, a golf/media room, and spaces for yoga and meditation. (Cynthia Lynn/Project Interiors)

Their clients later bought yet another condo on the 48th floor, with plans to connect it as well.

In Water Tower Place, Berkshire Hathaway agent Michael Rosenblum is currently listing a 5,508-square-foot, four-bedroom duplex, which a former owner combined, for $3.5 million.

Duplexes within residential towers appeal to clients who are looking for not only more space, but also the convenience and perks of high-rise living, Rosenblum said.

While some people balk at the often-pricey assessments, which can run as high as thousands of dollars per month, Rosenblum said that once you consider ongoing maintenance and utilities, the overall cost is comparable to a single-family home in an established neighborhood like Lincoln Park.

“If you have a leak in the roof in a single-family home, you have to stay home from work and wait for the maintenance person,” he said. “At a luxury high-rise, you can call the management office or building concierge, and they will come up and fix it at no cost.”

Stairs lead to the second floor of a 5,508-square-foot duplex in Water Tower Place, which a former owner combined. (VHT Studios)

That said, Rosenblum wouldn’t go so far as to describe it as a trend, pointing out that younger people are increasingly seeking out smaller spaces.

He noted the growing popularity of so-called micro apartments, which offer smaller private spaces coupled with amenity-packed common areas for socializing.